Pirie Traditional Method Sparkling 2021

Named after one of the pioneers of the Tasmanian wine industry, Andrew Pirie, this wine has always ranked amongst Australia’s very best sparklers. It is now part of the Brown Brothers’ empire and should find an even wider audience. Handpicked fruit from the Kayena Vineyard in the Tamar Valley, the wine is an almost even split between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, 51% Chardonnay and 49% Pinot Noir. The juice undergoes a cool fermentation in tank and 20% is left on lees in older French oak. The wine goes through a full malolactic fermentation and spends four years on lees. The colour is a pale silver gold. Very effervescent and energetic, the nose has a touch of toast with notes of lemons and apple, along with grapefruit pith and hints of hazelnut. There is a minerally, chalk backing, as well as an enticing saline character running the length. The wine is beautifully structured, elegant and intense, with good focus and a long lingering finish. This is a cracking Aussie sparkler and can be enjoyed over the next decade.